


Sweet Child of Mine

by captainbrig



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Baby Skye, Established Relationship, F/M, Mama!May, Papa!Phil, Philinda - Freeform, Philinda as Skye's Parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-10
Updated: 2015-12-17
Packaged: 2018-05-06 00:56:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5396792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainbrig/pseuds/captainbrig
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Where is it? The 0-8-4?" she asked.</p><p>"You're looking at it," he replied grimly.</p><p>"The 0-8-4 is a baby?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Wheels up in five, Coulson,” Melinda called from the cockpit.

Phil nodded, slipping into the co-pilot’s seat next to his partner and buckling himself in.

“Why do you think Director Carter is sending us in on this? I mean, we aren’t exactly equipped to deal with 0-8-4’s, we’re only Level 2!” he said as he looked over at her.

Melinda shrugged and flipped a few more switches.

“Director Carter personally trained me, Phil. And Agent Fury personally trained you. I’m practically the best specialist in SHIELD,” Melinda replied, her voice injecting some proud smugness into her voice.

“Yeah, but why would they need a specialist and a field agent to go on a two man extraction team for an 0-8-4?” he asked. “And if you’re the best specialist, then I’m the best field agent.” He grinned and stuck out his tongue at her, her only response being a fill 360 degree eye roll.

“I guess we’ll find out when we get there, won’t we?” she said as she guided them in the air. “We should be there in roughly ten hours.”

XXX

Phil and Melinda stepped quietly through the streets of the little village on the outskirts of the Hunan Province. It was deadly quiet. Melinda felt her senses running on high, and she slipped her gun from its holster. Normally it took a lot for her to use her hand gun, but something about this place gave her the creeps, and the eerie silence didn’t help one bit. There should be at least some kind of movement, from someone, somewhere.

Phil walked steadily beside her, using the little tracking device that Director Carter had given them for the 0-8-4.

“Something’s not right, Coulson,” she murmured, looking around the empty streets.

“I know. Something feels very off. Where are all the people? Where’s Agent Lumley?” he replied lowly.

“You keep going, I’m going to scout,” she said.

Phil nodded, looking at her with a small frown gracing his face. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her in closer, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. “Be careful, Mel,” he whispered.

“I always am,” she replied, kissing him once more before stealthily slipping into the shadows.

Melinda turned quietly down the corner and stopped, her mouth dropped open in surprise and horror. Littered along the street was bodies. Dozens of them.

Pursing her lips, Melinda stepped quietly through the street, peering through the open doors and only finding more and more massacred people. She bit her lip and turned away when she caught the glassy, lifeless stare of a little girl staring up at her from the street.

She pressed one hand to her ear.

“Coulson? I think I know what happened to everyone in this village,” she said quietly.

Her comm crackled into her ear.

“Melinda?” his voice sounded off, strained and slightly scared. “You should come see this.”

Taking directions from him, Melinda quickly found herself under a bridge a little ways outside of the village. The river gurgled and flowed in an almost calming manner, and Melinda felt it was somewhat unnerving, because after seeing the massacre of the village, she felt anything but calm.

Phil stood there, his shoulders slumped. His arms were cradling something.

“Coulson?”

He turned, and Melinda caught a glimpse of what he held so preciously in his arms. A bundled up little baby, probably no older than six months.

“Mel…it’s a baby, Mel,” he whispered. Melinda’s eyes darted about the scene, and she caught the sight of someone slumped on the ground against the post of the bridge.

“Phil…what’s going on?” she asked.

“Agent Lumley…he’s dead. Well, he only just died. He was protecting the 0-8-4,” Phil explained as she stepped closer, glimpsing the sweet face of the child swaddled in the blankets. It was dark, but she could just make out the tiny features of the little girl.

“Where is it? The 0-8-4?” she asked.

“You’re looking at it,” he replied grimly.

“The 0-8-4 is a baby?” she asked, astonished.

He nodded. “How are we going to explain this to HQ?” he asked.

“Something tells me the Director already knows,” she said. “Come on, we need to get moving. The people that were looking for this baby obviously went through the whole village looking for her and massacred all the people. Whoever did that could still be out here.”

She tugged gently at Phil’s arm, guiding him back into the forest where she had hidden the small plane that they had been commissioned for the journey.

Within ten minutes she had them back in the air, heading home.

“What’s the plan?” Phil asked, finally looking up from the face of the little girl he held in his arms. Melinda glanced at him; he looked slightly scared and she could tell from the way he minutely bounced the baby that he had already become somewhat attached to her already.

“I have a sneaking suspicion that Director Carter already knows that the 0-8-4 was a child. My only question now, is why she sent us to retrieve her. When we get back to base, hide her in my duffle. Hopefully she doesn’t make any noise. If Fury asks, the real 0-8-4 was stolen, we reached just in time for Agent Lumley to tell us as such before he died. After that, we’re going to pay a visit to the Director,” Melinda told him, glancing away from his face at the slightly obscured one of the child he held closely to his chest.

Phil nodded. “Something just isn’t adding up,” he murmured softly.  “I hope the Director can clear it up for us.”

XXX

Roughly eleven hours and fifteen minutes later, Melinda landed the plane back at the base. She watched warily as she and Coulson disembarked at how Agent Fury already stood on the tarmac waiting for him. Melinda grumbled internally. It was already past three in the morning. Didn’t the goddamn man ever sleep?!

“Mission report,” he said as they came to stand in front of him.

Melinda unconsciously tightened the grip on her duffle, knowing the precious and extremely fragile contents it carried.

“The 0-8-4 was taken before we arrived. Agent Lumley was barely alive to tell us as such when we got there. The entire village was slaughtered,” Melinda said in her most detached voice.

Fury swore under his breath and took a deep sigh.

“Okay. Get the hell out of here and take two days for R&R. Cheese, you okay?” Fury said.

Phil looked away and nodded shortly before walking off.

Fury looked down questioningly at Melinda. She shrugged. “He seemed pretty shaken up by what we saw,” Melinda said, pursing her lips. His arched brow prompted her to continue. “Whoever did it, they were ruthless. Didn’t care who they killed. Men, women, children; they all went,” she continued.

Fury sighed roughly and nodded. “Go, hit the showers or go home, Agent,” he said, and Melinda nodded before slipping past him and off the tarmac.

She hurried quickly but discreetly through the halls until she came to the parking garage, finding Phil sitting in Lola, waiting. She hopped in the passenger’s seat,  gently cradling the duffle in her lap while Phil pulled out of the parking space and they drove off the compound. Once they were a safe distance away from SHIELD, Melinda unzipped the duffle and carefully extracted the tiny baby. She looked down at the little girl, feeling a strange bubbling in her veins as she awkwardly cradled her. She was surprised to see that the child was awake, and yet had made no sounds even though she'd been stuck in the duffle bag for at least fifteen minutes. The little girl stared back up at her curious brown eyes, and flailed one fist towards Melinda’s chin. She cooed and offered her a gummy smile. Melinda felt something inside her slowly cracking and falling away. She had never really desired to be a mother, she had always felt that the field was her home, and it was where she belonged. Specialists didn’t have time for families and children.

Twenty minutes later, Phil pulled up to the Carter house and gently eased Lola to a stop, switching off her engine.

“How do you know Peggy doesn’t have a security detail on her house?” Phil asked curiously.

“Because the last time someone ordered a detail for her house, the five agents ended up in the hospital with various injuries,” Melinda replied.

Phil chuckled. “Director Carter might be close to seventy, but she still kicks ass pretty well,” he said.

Melinda nodded and got out of the car, Phil following her up the short steps that led to the front door of the Director. Melinda rang the doorbell, and they heard shuffling footsteps coming to the door. The opened door revealed a tired looking Director Carter, who immediately straightened when she saw them standing there. Her eyes strayed to the little bundle Melinda held closely to her chest, and she wordlessly opened the door, ushering them in.

Melinda sat quietly on the couch, listening to Peggy brewing tea in the kitchen. The little girl started fussing slightly in her arms, her large brown eyes growing wet, and tiny whimpers coming from her. Melinda bounced her awkwardly, trying to shush her, but the little girl offered some loud sobs instead. She looked helplessly over at Phil, but he seemed just as lost as she did.

Peggy suddenly reappeared, a tray with a pot of tea and three cups in hand. She set it on the table and gently took the baby from Melinda, picking up a bottle that had rested on the tray as well. She wordlessly held the bottle to the child, who latched on and greedily began sucking.

Melinda folded her arms and looked at her former SO and Director.

“You knew. You knew the 0-8-4 was a baby,” she said, slightly accusingly.

Peggy nodded. “Agent Lumley had been speaking to me for weeks, explaining that the 0-8-4 technology had been picking up an odd frequency. When he had finally investigated the situation, he found that the 0-8-4 was a child. He thought she was safe as she was with her family, but I ordered him to stay and observe. If it was an -0-8-4, someone was bound to come looking. And they did. I assume the entire village was dead, by the time you arrived?” the Director said. The little child in her arms turned her head, refusing the end of the bottle. Peggy burped her on her shoulder, patting her back gently.

Melinda nodded. “So what now?”

Peggy pursed her lips and stood, retrieving something from her mantle and handing it to Melinda.

“Steve and May Robertson?” Melinda said in confusion, looking up at Peggy with a frown.

Peggy sighed. “The people that were looking for this child will undoubtedly come looking again. I don’t trust her life to the system, Lord only knows what will happen to her then. You and Phillip are to be going deep undercover. Your mission is to raise and protect this child,” Peggy told them.

“Raise a child?! With all due respect, Peggy, I’m a specialist, not a mother,” Melinda said, slightly annoyed.

“You like to think you are not a mother, but I know you better than that, Melinda. I know you and Phillip are the only ones who can successfully do this. You have aced every Misrepresentation exam there is, and completed several successful undercover missions as a couple. Just think of this one as a longer assignment. I know you, both of you. You care for each other as partners. That’s what we need for this,” Peggy told them.

“But what about other people? Won’t they be able to access the files that will detail this mission?” Phil finally asked.

Peggy shook her head. “This mission is in no way recorded. It hasn’t been written down in any form or manner to be accessed. Only I know about it. And as Director, I sanction it,” she replied.

“Where will we stay? I mean, we’re supposed to be masquerading as a married couple with a baby but no house to live in?” Melinda finally asked.

“I’ve actually arranged for you to occupy a lovely house in Portland,” Peggy said, “One of Howard’s old gifts to me.”

Melinda rolled her eyes slightly, and glanced over at Phil. He merely shrugged at her.

_Your call._

“I can’t believe I’m actually going to be doing this,” she muttered to herself.

“I know you aren’t very happy with me at the moment, Melinda, but this child is going to need parents. If she truly is an 0-8-4 like we believe, whatever or however that affects her later on in life, she is going to need a strong support system,” Peggy said.

“How do you know that Coulson and I can give that to her?” Melinda challenged.

“Oh please, Melinda. A blind man could see the way the two of you look at each other,” Peggy snorted.  “If anyone can care - properly care - for this child, it’s the two of you.”

Melinda glanced over at Phil, noting his red cheeks at the Director’s statement.

“Besides. I remember what it was like, once upon a time. To feel that way for someone but be constricted by rules and regulations. Consider this a very rare and wonderful opportunity for the two of you,” Peggy told them.

Melinda sighed, sounding defeated. “Alright. We accept the mission,” she finally said.

“Excellent. I’ve booked your flight to Portland for eleven in the morning tomorrow,” Peggy said with a small smile.

XXX

Melinda yawned, resting her head on Phil’s shoulder sleepily. He was holding the little baby- their new charge- close to his chest as she slept soundly. Melinda didn’t really want to admit it, but she actually really like seeing Phil holding a baby. He looked so natural holding a child, and she knew that he’d always wanted a family of his own, a wife to come home to and children to raise and teach and play with. A small smile touched her lips as she watched the way that he gently traced the baby’s features with one fingertip. She burrowed her head into his shoulder, breathing in his scent as she closed her eyes tiredly. She had been up all night worrying, the many, many possible complications swirling around in her mind. What if the people hunting the baby found them? What if she and Phil were horrible at parenting? What if someone kidnapped the baby from them? What if they failed? She felt a frown slipping back onto her face as her night’s worries caught back up with her again.

Suddenly she felt Phil shifting slightly, his arm dropping heavily but comfortingly across her shoulders. He dropped a gentle kiss to the top of her head, and Melinda smiled softly at the small comfort it gave her.

“Hey, quit worrying,” he mumbled to her.

“How would you know that I’m worrying?” she asked, opening her eyes slowly to look up at him.

He grinned down at her, the deep blue irises of his eyes sparkling. “Because, you have your worrying face on,” he replied, brushing his lips against the dent that had formed between her brows.

Melinda rolled her eyes slightly, but she couldn’t deny the small twitch of her lips she felt. She and Phil had known each other a long time, since she was seventeen, to be precise, and in that time, they’d gone from fellow cadets to best friends to partners to lovers. She knew that relationships between agents were frowned upon because of the implications it could have in the field, but Melinda knew that no matter if Phil was her boyfriend or not, she’d still care too much about him. And she knew that he felt similarly too.

The plane shuddered slightly, and Melinda knew from experience that the pilot was beginning their descent.

_“Ladies and gentlemen, please buckle your seatbelts, we are beginning our descent to the Portland International Airport.”_

Melinda sighed, pressing her face into his shoulder again.

“This is it,” she mumbled, feeling his squeeze her shoulder gently in return.

XXX


	2. Chapter 2

****

It was one a.m. One o’ clock in the freaking morning and the baby was screaming. Melinda huffed tiredly and cracked open her eyes. She was so exhausted that she hadn’t even heard when Phil had gotten up to try to soothe the fussy child. The spot next to her in the bed was cool, so she assumed that he’d been up for a while. Apparently, though, nothing seemed to be working, as the baby was currently screaming her lungs out. She sat up, looking for Phil. He was padding around their bedroom, the baby held to his chest as he bounced her. Melinda watched as he pressed his lips to the child’s forehead, muttering, “Come on, Angel, go back to sleep. Please.”

Melinda knew she shouldn’t have been very surprised by how quickly Phil had taken to the baby, after all, he was a very family-oriented person. The fact that he’d lost both his parents at a relatively young age did not lessen those feelings either, if anything, it strengthened them.

Melinda sighed and pulled the covers away, shuddering slightly at the cool air in the bedroom. She padded over to where Phil was pacing in front of the large windows, and held her arms out. He looked confused for a moment, but she simply rolled her eyes tiredly and took the screaming child from him.

“Mel, I-“

“You’re tired Phil. Go back to bed,” she replied, cutting him off. He sighed and pressed a kiss to her hair and she heard the sounds of him flopping back onto the mattress a few feet away. Melinda adjusted her arms around the child and looked down. The little baby stared up at her with those large, curious brown eyes, her sobs quieted for the most part. Melinda figured she was probably confused as to who the strange person holding her was. For the last two days since they’d arrived, Melinda had mostly allowed Phil to take care of the baby, preferring to keep her distance from the child.

After a moment of unnerving staring, the little girl burst into a gummy smile, reaching one flailing fist up at Melinda. Melinda found herself offering a small smile in return. She didn’t feel very confident in her capabilities as a parent far less as a mother just yet, but that one drool-y, happy smile somewhat made her feel a lot better. Melinda sat in the rocking chair that faced the window, and slowly began rocking to get the child to fall back asleep. She remembered similar occurrences with her own mother, who, despite not always being there for her, was always ready with a comforting hug or a softly sung Chinese lullaby to soothe her daughter.

Melinda smoothed some of the hair on the little girl’s head, and began softly singing the same lullaby that her mother had always sung to her. She watched as the baby’s large brown eyes begin to flutter, the song lulling her back to peaceful sleep. Melinda’s not sure just how long she stayed in the rocking chair with the baby, smoothing her hair and humming, but by the time she hears Phil starting to stir again, the sun is just starting to peek into the room, casting a soft golden glow on the still relatively bare walls. In the next moment, she feels Phil’s arms wrap around her middle, nestling under hers where she holds the baby close. He drops a kiss to her neck, nuzzling into her hair happily.

“We never named her,” Melinda finally says, smoothing her fingertips over the peaceful features of the little baby.

Phil stays quiet, but she can tell that he’s staring at the child over her shoulder.

“Skye,” he finally says. “We should name her Skye.”

“Why Skye?” Melinda asks.

“Because, you look so calm holding her right now, just like when you pilot a plane and are flying and you look out at the sky,” he replies.

Melinda smiles softly at that. Usually they kept their relationship ultimately professional, given that they were at work so often, but she was glad to be free of the strict restrictions.

 

 “Been spying on me, Coulson?” she teases, raising her brow at him as she looks over her shoulder.

“I like to think of it as more of a casual admiration,” he quips in return, grinning at her.

She smiles again, closing her eyes as he touches his forehead to hers, bumping their noses together affectionately.

“Love you,” he whispered softly, pecking her lips in a short kiss.

“Love you too,” she replied quietly.

Their intimate moment was broken when Melinda felt and heard her stomach growl. Phil chuckled.

“Breakfast?” he asked.

Mel nodded, rising seamlessly and placing little Skye in her crib and flicking on the baby monitor. She pulled on her robe, finding that Phil had already disappeared from their bedroom. She turned into the bathroom to brush her teeth, and then padded down the stairs in search of Phil. She found him flipping pancakes at the stove in the kitchen, and he gave her a beam as she plopped down at the small breakfast table.

“We’re gonna need to go shopping at some point,” he told her, and then turning back to her he said with a grin, “rather, I need to go shopping, since you hate it.”

Melinda rolled her eyes. “I have every reason to hate it,” she said, even though she knew she was just giving in to his teasing.

He chuckled and set a mug of tea in front of her, made just the way she likes it. He kissed her hair as he passed.

“I know you don’t like it, but we’re going to need more clothes for Skye. Not to mention maybe a playpen for downstairs, and some books, toys, other things like that. The house could probably do with getting re-stocked with food too,” he told her as he placed two pancakes on a plate and brought them over to the table for her.

Melinda sighed. “I suppose that you want me to come shopping with you then?” she asked as she cut off a piece of pancake and stuffed it in her mouth.

“Well…it would be nice. That and it might be kind of strange for the married couple to not want to take their baby out to see the sights,” he replied as he plopped himself in the seat across from hers.

Melinda rolled her eyes. “Fine. But you’re buying me a new pair of boots,” she huffed slightly.

“Only? The last time you made me buy you a new leather jacket too,” he told her with a teasing smirk.

“That was only because my old one got slashed when you weren’t guarding your six and a hostile with a knife tried to attack you,” she told him.

“Ah yes, Belarus, was it?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, it was Cairo,” she replied.

Any other normal person would have probably found the exchange weird, but Melinda knew that they weren’t normal in the slightest. Two SHIELD agents in a frowned upon relationship, ordered to raise a child? Please, if Melinda weren’t involved in the entire thing, she’d probably laugh.

He hummed and took a sip of his coffee before they were interrupted by the sound of soft snuffles coming across the baby monitor. Melinda made to get up but Phil stopped her with one hand.

“You were up for most of the morning with her, I got it,” he said as he turned and left the room.

About a minute later, Melinda heard him over the monitor.

“Good morning, Angel. You have a good sleep with your mommy?” she heard him coo to Skye, accompanied with the soft rustling as he picked her up.

Melinda felt something in her heart constrict. Was she a mother? Could she be Skye’s ‘mommy’? She knew without a doubt that Skye would survive without Melinda as long as she had Phil to care for her. He would make such an excellent father. But she- Melinda wasn’t a mommy type. No matter how good holding the child close had been. She and Phil had gone over this discussion tirelessly- she was not meant to be a mother, the world had obviously shown her that, no matter what he said. Melinda was broken out of her reverie when Phil and Skye reappeared in the kitchen.

Phil was beaming at her, holding Skye’s back to his front so that she could see everything as he walked back into the kitchen. The moment Skye’s large brown eyes rested on Melinda’s face she broke out into a gummy smile, her fists flailing towards her. Phil grinned and allowed her to take the baby from him, where the little girl settled comfortably in her arms. Skye giggled at Melinda before promptly sticking one fist into her mouth. Despite the insane amount of spit leaking from the baby’s mouth, Melinda was almost positive that she had never seen anything more adorable.

She took her napkin from the table and gently wiped at Skye’s chin and mouth, murmuring something to her in Chinese. When she looked up, she saw Phil grinning madly at her.

She arched a brow at him. “What’s with the smirk, Coulson?”

His grin widened (if that was even possible). “You’re just super adorable, that’s all,” he replied.

“I’m almost positive that I’ve broken the arms of lesser men who’ve said that to me,” she told him, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

“Probably,” he said, his eyes still sparkling at her. Melinda refused to admit that she was almost smiling with him.

XXX

A few hours after breakfast, she and Phil were almost ready to head to the nearest shopping mall. When she emerged from the closet with a pair of her boots in hand, however, she found him sitting on his side of the bed, his head down as he played with something in his fingers.

“Phil? You okay?” she asked in confusion.

He started slightly and looked up, offering her a small, unconvincing smile.

“I uh- yeah. Yeah, I’m okay,” he said.

“What’ve you got there?” she asked as she sat on the edge of the bed and began pulling on her shoes.

“I um- I’ve had this for a while now. I was going to give it to you soon- before,” he paused to gesture with his hands, “all this, but well, I don’t really think we can be seen without them, now,” he told her. He turned and flipped open the small velvet box he was holding. Melinda’s eyes widened as she took in the rings nestled inside. The two bands were slim, one of them sporting a round sapphire surrounded by smaller diamonds, the other one plain and simple.

“Phil, is that-?”

He nodded. “I think my mother would have been glad to call you her daughter-in-law, and she would have wanted you to have these, even though we aren’t actually married,” he told her.

Melinda stayed quiet, thinking of the heavy implication of his words. He’d had it for a while. He was going to ask her to marry him before this whole debacle with Peggy and now Skye.

“I love them,” she admitted quietly.

Phil beamed and slipped them carefully on her finger, pressing a kiss to her knuckle.

“I figured it might seem kind of odd to see such a relatively newly married couple out and about without their rings,” he told her.

For such a highly trained agent, Melinda had honestly completely missed the thick silver band he now sported on his own left ring finger.

“Now, then, to the car, Mrs. Michaels! We have shopping to do!” he said as he stood and pulled her up as well, kissing her lips before heading over to the crib in the corner and scooping up Skye. She giggled slightly, before reaching out to Melinda who she had spotted in the corner of her eye.

Ten minutes later and Phil was pulling them into a parking space at the nearest shopping mall. Melinda got out of the backseat, adjusting her hold on baby Skye. Phil asked her if she wanted him to carry her, but she merely shook her head.

“Alright, Miss Skye,” Phil said, “I believe the first order of business is to find you some new clothes.” He tickled the baby under her chin, causing her to giggle and grab his finger with a surprisingly strong grip for a child. Phil chuckled before wrapping his arm around Melinda’s waist, seeing as both her hands were occupied.

The mall wasn’t terribly crowded, for which Melinda was grateful. Phil steered them into a children’s clothing store, and he dutifully began picking out clothes for Skye. At one point he told Melinda something about toys, so she allowed him to take Skye over into the other aisle filled with the many different colourful toys while she picked up some more onesies, vests, pajamas and a few new blankets.

Melinda frowned and went searching for Phil. He stood with his back to her, but Melinda could tell from his rigid stance that he was extremely uncomfortable. A blonde woman stood closely next to him, her smile bright and catty, one perfectly manicured hand resting on his arm. She was especially chagrined to see that she was wearing a vest that identified her as a store clerk.

“I really do admire single fathers, you know, I think they’re so amazing for bringing up children by themselves,” the woman was saying.

Phil looked ready to say something, but the woman cut him off. “And there is something, rather…sexy about a man caring for kids.”

Melinda pursed her lips in irritation before marching over. Enough was enough already!

“Steve! There you are, honey,” she said in an overly sweet tone, sidling up to him and kissing him on the mouth, resting her left hand on his shoulder. “I thought you’d gotten lost!” she joked.

Phil blushed slightly at her public display but he smiled all the same and shook his head. “No, May darling, Skye and I were simply looking at the stuffed toys I might buy her,” he replied.

“Oh, and this sales clerk was helping you?” she asked, finally cutting her eyes towards the now fully embarrassed woman.

“Yes, now if you don’t need any more help, sir, I think there are some more customers who might require assistance,” the woman said quickly before hurrying away.

Melinda rolled her eyes before turning to look at Phil. He looked as though he was holding in laughter. Melinda punched his shoulder slightly.

“Come on, let’s go pay for our things,” she told him. He nodded, grabbing up a deep blue patchwork dog from the shelf before following her to the register.

As they left the store, Melinda grabbed hold of Phil’s hand, being sure to lace their fingers together. She pretended not to see Phil’s ‘I know what you’re doing’ look. She rolled her eyes. You’d think wedding rings would mean something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter! I know that there was some speculation on May's real birth date, but for the sake of this story, she'll just be a year younger than Coulson. Thanks for getting to the bottom, and don't forget to review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may just murder you all with fluff for these next few chapters, but don't worry! There's lots of action planned, but it'll take a bit to get there. Expect extreme fluff for the next couple of chapters while Skye ages. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a comment!

Melinda jogged up their driveway, keeping her eyes and ears open for anyone or anything that might be lurking around the house. Finally satisfied with their safety after jogging around and surveying the perimeter of their home, Melinda eased to a stop and pulled out her key to the door. As she shut it behind her and made sure to lock all the locks, she heard excited squealing and giggling coming from the living room. She leaned against the wall with an amused smile on her face, looking on at the two most important people in her life.

The entire living room was trashed, the cushions were strewn about, popcorn was spilled on the floor and the tv was displaying the end credits of a movie. The two occupants of the room, however, were entirely unconcerned with the state of the messy room.

“I vill get you, Captain America!” Phil was shouting in an over-exaggerated German accent.

“Never! I’m Captain America and I never be captured by you, Red Skull!” Skye shouted back, brandishing the Captain America shield that they’d given to her on her birthday. The four year old jumped off the back of the couch, launching herself at Phil. He caught her in his arms, immediately beginning to tickle her. Skye squealed and began laughing hysterically, dropping the little toy shield.

Skye’s little face turned pink from all the giggling, and she squirmed and struggled against his arms, but he held tight to her. Skye looked up and caught sight of Melinda standing in the doorway.

“A-Agent Peggy! H-Help! The Red Skull is holding me captive!” she gasped between giggles. Phil looked up at her and grinned widely, his tickling paused for just a moment, allowing Skye to escape his grasp. Skye looked up at her, beckoning her to come and play with her eyes. Melinda smiled and entered the living room.

“You know, Captain, there is one thing that will always defeat the Red Skull,” Melinda says.

Skye looks up with wide eyes. “What’s that, Agent Carter?” she asks.

“Well, it’s been rumoured that the Red Skull is very ticklish as well,” Melinda whispers conspiratorially to her, “I think it’s time for some payback, don’t you?”

Skye grins. “Definitely time for payback,” she giggles.

The little girl barrels into Phil, and Melinda laughs softly as he allows himself to fall backwards onto the soft carpet. “Come on, Agent Peggy! We almost have him finished!” Skye calls and Melinda can’t resist pouncing on top of Phil and targeting some of the spots she knows where he’s especially ticklish. Phil laughs and Skye giggles, and Melinda knows that there’s nowhere else in the world she’d rather be.

She feels Phil wrap his arms around the two of them, and he presses a kiss to her head. She tucks her head under his chin, resting her palm against his chest and savouring his hold.

“Alright, Captain. You win! This time!” Phil suddenly says from above her head and Skye giggles, hopping up and standing over the two of them.

“Face it, Red Skull! You have been beaten! You shall never ever spread your evil again!” she says loudly in a faux Captain voice. Melinda smiles. For a four year old, her vocabulary really was quite impressive.

“You win, you win!” Phil said with a laugh, pulling Skye down and snuggling her between them. Skye smiled, pressing her face to Melinda’s chest.

“Love you, Mommy,” she murmured. “Love you Daddy.”

“I love you too, Angel,” Phil said, before Melinda kissed the top of her head, “I love you more, Monkey,” she told Skye. Skye giggled again, and Melinda pulled away to stand.

“But,” she said in what Phil had told her was her ‘stern mommy voice’, “you need a bath and some dinner.”

Skye pouted. “Can I have a bubble bath?” she asked hopefully.

“If you can help me and Daddy get this living room cleaned up as quickly as possible, then sure, you can,” Melinda replied as she bent to pick up a cushion. Skye squealed happily and bolted up quickly picking up cushions while Phil picked up all the popcorn. Melinda chuckled and shut off the television before heading into the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Mummy! I’m ready!” Skye called out. Melinda smiled softly as Skye bounded up to her. She scooped her up and Skye immediately wrapped her arms around her neck, nuzzling her face into Melinda’s hair.

“Ready to go get clean, Monkey?” Melinda asked with a chuckle as Skye wrapped her legs around her as well.

“Uh huh,” she mumbled.

After a soothing bubble bath, Melinda had Skye already dressed in her pjs covered in little shields. She smiled and stroked her hair as they cuddled and she sang softly to her in Mandarin. Skye snuggled down with her favourite cobalt coloured patchwork puppy, already raggedy with wear despite having only been brought home four years earlier. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and sucked it soothingly, her eyes slowly drooping lower and lower until they closed in peaceful sleep. Melinda sighed and kissed her forehead before leaving her bedroom, and going off in search of Phil. She found him in their bedroom, still damp from the shower and a towel wrapped around his waist as he searched through the chest of drawers for his night clothes. Melinda sighed softly again and wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her cheek on the misty skin of his shoulder blade. He ran his thumb over her hands that were joined over his sternum, before turning and wrapping his arms around her waist solidly. The wiry hairs on his chest tickled her face but she nuzzled further against him, breathing in the scent of his shower gel and shampoo.

“Missed you today,” he murmured, rubbing his hands up and down her spine, slowly easing the tension out of her muscles. She groaned softly in appreciation.

“Hmm, work was okay?” she asked.

He huffed. “It was bloody brutal. Remind me again why I thought teaching at the local high school would be a good idea?” he asked.

Melinda chuckled. “You know you secretly love working with kids, Phil,” she replied.

“That’s debateable,” he replied. “How were things at the studio?”

“Alright, I suppose. I got signed to do a couple fashion shoots and then take pictures at Skye’s Christmas concert on Thursday,” she told him.

“That’s great! You’ll get to see all the action close up! I’ll probably get stuck in the back row, again,” he said, his voice ending with a grumble.

“Well, I may or may not have bartered with a certain principal for two seats in the front row,” she replied lightly.

“When you say ‘barter’ you mean ‘demand’ don’t you?” he asked with a chuckle.

“You say potato,” she said with a small grin.

“Skye is going to be up on that stage just like every other child in her elementary school, I just want to watch her for all of the five minutes we’ll get to see her,” Melinda told him as she tipped her face to look up at him.

Phil merely chuckled, running his fingers through her hair. After a minute Melinda pulled away with a small sigh.

“I need a shower,” she told him as she started padding towards their ensuite bathroom.

“I could wash your back!” he said teasingly as she walked away.

“We both know that if you get in the shower with me, not much showering will actually get done,” she replied with a smirk.

Phil reddened slightly, but he grinned in return.

“You know me too well,” he said. Melinda turned and winked in reply.

XXX  
After her shower, Melinda and Phil laid snuggled in bed. She had her cheek resting on his chest, her fingers absently playing with his chest hair. She smiled when she remembered the horrified look on his face the day she’d joked and told him she’d braid it while he slept. Phil’s arm was around her shoulders, and he ran his fingers soothingly through her hair. Melinda closed her eyes and savoured the feeling of being here, in his embrace, and knowing that the little girl she loved more than life was sleeping peacefully only two doors down.

“Phil?” she said quietly.

“Hmm?” he sounded like he was close to being asleep.

“Do you ever think about what it’d be like if we didn’t accept Peggy’s mission?”

“All the time,” he replied, equally as softly.

“Do you miss it?” she asks.

“Sometimes. When I think about how badly I wanted to make a difference in the world. And then I feel slightly selfish, because I know that I could never give up what we have here to go back to what we had before,” he replied.

“Oh. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one to feel like that. Where do you think we’d be if we didn’t agree to raise Skye?”

“Maybe at Level 3 or 4, going on lots of dangerous missions, nearly getting killed, probably the same kind of stuff we were doing before the mission in Hunan,” he told her.

“Phil?”

“Yeah, Mel?”

“I’m glad we didn’t turn down Peggy,” she told him, burying her face in his chest.

“Me too,” he said, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she replied, reaching up to catch his lips in a sweet kiss.

XXX

Melinda stretched and began her Tai Chi. It was early in the morning, and she faced the floor to ceiling windows as she began the first positions. A floorboard suddenly creaked, and Melinda paused and looked up, finding Skye standing there sleepily rubbing one eye and holding her blue patchwork dog in one arm.

“Skye? What’s wrong, Monkey?” Melinda asked as Skye stepped into the room, raising her arms up in a gesture for Melinda to pick her up. Melinda scooped the little girl up into her arms, kissing her hair.

“I had a nightmare, Mommy,” she said with a snuffle.

Melinda felt her heart breaking in her chest. “Don’t worry, baby, as long as I’m here, you'll be safe,” she told her as she hugged her tightly.

“But you weren’t there, Mommy! Neither was Daddy. I was scared,” Skye admitted, her little eyes filling with tears.

“Oh, baby,” Melinda sighed, stroking Skye’s head soothingly as she sobbed into her shoulder. “Let’s go find Daddy, yeah? Then we can prove to you that neither of us are going anywhere, yeah?”

Skye nodded, hooking her arms tightly around her neck as Melinda carried them back down the hall and into their bedroom. Phil was still in bed, snoring slightly. Melinda carefully set Skye next to him before sandwiching her between them. She poked Phil sharply in the side and he startled awake, his eyes bleary as he tried to make sense of what was happening around them.

“Hm? Wha’s goin’ on?” he slurred. "Okay?"

“Skye had a nightmare,” Melinda told him. Immediately he sat up, his arms reaching for her.

“Oh, Angel. Don’t worry. Mommy and I are here,” he told her as he held Skye close.

“But in my nightmare you and Mommy weren’t anywhere around,” Skye told him with a frown. “I couldn’t find you. I was scared and there was a scary man shouting at me!”

The more she talked, the more hysterical Skye became and it broke Melinda’s heart to see their little girl so upset.

“Skye, sweetheart, let me tell you something. Your mother and I are not going anywhere. Not ever. You’re stuck with us forever and ever and ever. Even when you’re fifty, your mommy and I are still going to be with you,” he murmured to her.

Skye giggled. “But Daddy, fifty is like, soooo old!”

“Exactly, Angel. Your mommy and I will always be here for you,” Phil told her as he kissed the top of her head.

Skye hugged him tightly, and then reached one skinny arm out for Melinda. She huddled closer, reaching over and wrapping an arm around both of them.

“I love you, Mommy. I love you Daddy.”

Melinda thought back to not so long ago when she was uncomfortable with the idea of being a mother. Even when they’d first started caring for Skye, Melinda had been unsure she could ever truly care for Skye the way she’d thought she should be cared for. The amount of love she felt for the little girl she was snuggled closely with now was surprising; she loved Skye with every fibre of her being, possibly even more than she loved Phil. She couldn’t imagine how dull her life would be without Skye in it, keeping Melinda on her toes with her high energy, her laughter, and her cuddles.

“I love you too, Monkey.”

She’d been so unsure of so many things when they’d first started taking care of Skye, but Melinda was positive of one thing: she didn’t ever want to lose her little girl.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another chapter! Thanks to everyone who's read, commented, bookmarked and left kudos! You are all wonderful people. I hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to drop me a comment if you have the time!

“Mom? Moooom!”

Melinda frowned and exited the kitchen, looking for Skye.

“Skye, sweetie? What’s wrong?” she said worriedly as she rushed over to the eight year old.

“Nothing really. Tommy Wilson from next door bet me that I couldn’t climb the tree in their yard higher than him so I did, and I kicked his butt, but then I fell when I was climbing down and now I have a cut on my knee that’s as long as well, I don’t know what it’s as long as, but just look at it!”

She raised her leg and Melinda took stock of the admittedly very long, and profusely bleeding gash on Skye’s knee. The blood had dribbled down her leg, staining her sock. There were even little droplets of blood on the floor leading from the hall.

Melinda sighed with worry. “Come on, Monkey, we need to get you all cleaned up,” she said as she brushed some of Skye’s errant hairs out of her face, “and it’s going to hurt quite a bit, I’m afraid.”

Twenty minutes, some tears, gauze, and lots of bandages later, Melinda had Skye propped on the couch munching on popcorn while they watched one of Skye’s favourite movies, Mulan.

“Hey mom? Why do you think Shang is being so mean to Mulan? I mean, she totally saved his butt,” Skye suddenly said, “and now he’s being so stupid about it.”

Melinda sighed, stroking her Skye’s head as she wrapped an arm around the little girl and cuddled her. “I don’t know, Monkey. Sometimes it’s hard for people to understand when they’ve been lied to, it’s hard to accept and forgive that person.”

“But Mulan didn’t mean to hurt him! She just wanted to save her father,” Skye replied.

“I know, Monkey. But sometimes we’re blinded by the hurt, and we can’t see the truth,” Melinda replied.

They were interrupted by the sound of a key sliding in the lock. A few seconds later, Phil appeared, looking tired but happy to see them. He plopped down on the couch right between the two of them, and wrapped arms around them both.

“How’s my favourite two ladies this afternoon?” he asked as he pressed a kiss to Skye’s head and then lingered a bit over Melinda’s mouth.

“Dad! Dad! Guess what? Tommy Wilson bet me that I couldn’t climb a tree higher than him, and I did! But then I fell and I got this huge cut, but Mom cleaned it up and I only cried a little!” Skye said excitedly, sticking up her bandaged leg for her father to inspect.

“Yikes, kiddo, that must have hurt a lot,” he remarked.

“Only a little,” Skye said with a shrug.

“So…how high did you climb?”

“Steve!” Melinda said, elbowing him in the ribs. She sent him a stern glare.

“What? I just want to know,” he muttered as he rubbed his sore side. He gave her a pout in return.

“We shouldn’t be encouraging Skye to climb so high, what if she’d broken something when she’d fallen?” Melinda said to him sternly.

“Oh. Your mother’s right, Squirt, you really shouldn’t be climbing up so high,” Phil finally said, but when he looked at Skye, he gave her a wink.

_We’ll talk later._

Skye’s grin widened, and she nodded. “Look, Dad! You’re just in time to watch Mulan save China!”

XXX

Melinda was lost in her thoughts as she stood by the sink, washing the dishes from dinner. Phil had cooked an amazing spread of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and corn, and she’d felt bad that he’d gone through so much trouble when he’d been so tired from work. Which led to her being here, doing the dishes. She didn’t mind it, not really, it was a mind numbing task that allowed her to think out some things that she didn’t normally get to muse on during the day.

She looked at her reflection in the darkened window, frowning. The talk she’d had with Skye earlier was not sitting very well with her. She hated the fact that they were lying to their little girl. Melinda stared at her appearance. She looked so terribly domestic. Her hair was thrown up into a messy ponytail, and she was in worn jeans and a shirt that she was pretty sure was Phil’s but it was too comfortable to give back. It was amazing to think that eight years ago, she’d been in a uniform that consisted mainly of combat suits and leather jackets, and she’d scoffed at the idea of married life. Well, technically she and Phil weren’t really married, but still. They were as good as.She thought of him as her husband and that was that, thank you very much.

The feeling of two arms slipping around her waist jolted her from her thoughts, and Melinda unconsciously leaned back into the very man she’d been thinking about.

“You look troubled,” he told her quietly, dropping a kiss to her neck.

“I am,” she sighed in reply, turning to face him, grabbing a dish towel to dry her hands on.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, cupping her face in one hand.

She sighed again, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“It’s a conversation I had with Skye earlier, about what happens when you lie to someone sometimes. She couldn’t understand why you might not forgive someone if they’d lied to you. And I just- I can’t help but think, what if she doesn’t forgive us one day, when the truth comes out?”

Phil cupped her face in both hands now, brushing his nose affectionately against hers.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, okay? We’re raising a smart kid, and she loves us, both of us. I don’t know if she’ll understand, but we can only hope she does. Besides, that should be years down the line. But, if you're really worried, we can give her the one truth right now that we have to offer,” he told her in response.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“That she’s adopted.”

Melinda frowned, but nodded.

XXX

Skye sat on her bed, holding her blue patchwork puppy close. She’d had him since she was a baby, her mom had told her, and she remembered naming him Mr. Cuddles, because he liked to cuddle with her. But right now, Skye was holding Mr. Cuddles close, because she was worried about what her Mom and Dad needed to tell her.

Mummy had said it was important, and she’d curled up close next to Skye just like she always did when she wanted to cuddle her.

“Skye, honey, well, remember when we were talking today about lying and forgiveness and everything?” Melinda started.

Skye bobbed her head. “You said it was sometimes hard to forgive someone after they’d lied to you,” she said. “Did you lie to me, Mom?”

Her mother’s face was unreadable, and that actually was kind of scary. What if all the other kids in her class were right? What if Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny weren’t real?!

“Well, kiddo,” her Dad started, “your mom and I were kind of worried that you might be upset with us if we kept this from you, so we wanted to tell you…”

“Tell me what?” she asked curiously.

“Eight years ago, your Dad and I adopted you, baby,” her mother finally said, biting her lip afterwards, her eyes cast to the floor.

“I’m adopted?!”

“Yes. But it doesn’t matter, Skye. Your father and I love you as our own child. We don’t care, baby, we love you,” her mother said.

She was adopted. Skye Michaels wasn’t born to Steve and May Michaels. Steve and May Michaels weren’t her parents. They had adopted her. May Michaels was not her mother. And yet…wasn’t she? Earlier in the year, for mother’s day, the teacher had made them go around the class and describe what made a mother well, a mother. A mother feeds you. A mother cuddles you when you’re sad. Mothers take care of you when you’re hurt. Mothers play with you. Mothers speak to you and hug you and love you. Mothers love you.

“Skye? Are you upset with us?” her father asked.

Skye looked up at him with wide eyes. Slowly, she shook her head.

“What’s going on up there, bubba?” Mom asked, tapping her forehead gently.

“Mother and fathers love you,” she whispered.

“What’s that, baby?”

“Mothers and fathers are supposed to love you. And that’s what you do. You love me. And I love you. I don’t care if I’m adopted, because I love you and you love me, and that’s all that matters,” Skye said louder.

Her mother’s face crumpled in relief. She felt her arms go around her, hugging her tightly. Skye held onto her even tighter. At some point, she felt her dad’s arms slip around them both as well, nestling her between the two of them.

“I love you,” Skye whispered, burying her face in her mother’s shirt.

“I love you too, Angel,” her dad said.

“I love you more, Monkey,” her mother replied.

XXX

“That went decidedly better than I’d hoped,” Melinda said as they fell into bed later.

“You worry too much,” Phil replied as he shifted onto his side to look at her, slipping an arm around her waist.

“I do not,” she replied stubbornly.

“Do too,” he said, “See? You even have a little dent in between your eyebrows,” he teased, touching her forehead gently.

Melinda rolled her eyes, swatting his hand away. “Go to sleep, Phil, we’re sparring in the morning,’ she replied.

“If I manage to pin you, does that mean we can have sex in the basement?” he said as he nuzzled her neck.

Melinda snorted. “You haven’t managed to pin me in quite a while,” she replied, giving a soft gasp as he nipped the sensitive skin of her neck.

“Spoil sport,” he huffed as he pulled her closer to snuggle as they both fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a comment, I love knowing what you thought! I know the timelines might seem a little iffy, but if Phil was born in 1963 and became a cadet at the age of eighteen, he would be 22 by the time he graduated (assuming SHIELD Academy is a four year school) and would have been 26 and working in the field for about four years by the time Skye was born in 1989. I estimated that May is maybe a year younger than Phil. Also, Peggy was born in 1921, which would put her at the age of 68 in 1989. (I hope this all makes sense)


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